


Peaches

by Desert Dragonfly (bookbeachbunny)



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-09
Updated: 2016-07-09
Packaged: 2018-07-22 13:39:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7441300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookbeachbunny/pseuds/Desert%20Dragonfly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set in the future after Negan because it would be very nice to see Carol happy & Daryl & Rick (in his own way) at least trying to reach out to her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Peaches

Peaches

“Where have you been?”  
“I’m sorry?” She was truly surprised to see him pacing back and forth in the kitchen. But then again she hadn’t realized how late it had gotten. She hadn’t meant to spend so much time outside looking for the fruit.  
“I was worried about you!”  
“I am sorry.”  
“You didn’t even leave any word of where you were going. If you were coming back this time…”  
Mentally she kicked herself because she knew his worry on that count was her fault as well. Mostly. Yet she had such an enjoyable afternoon. It was so peaceful. Not a single walker in sight.  
Thankfully.  
She went to haul the old basket up to the counter although he wasn’t so angry that he didn’t reach out to immediately help her. It was the same old feeling. The thought that he couldn’t help himself being so sweet.  
So polite.  
So Daryl.  
Even when he was angry with her.  
“Fruit?”  
“Fresh,” she told him happily letting some of the feeling of the afternoon's peace seep back into her. “Some of the best I’ve seen. Things have been growing better recently…” since the war ended. She couldn’t help but think that despite all the scars on them it seemed like nature, at least, was finally being kind.  
“I thought I’d make a pie. Real ingredients as best I can. You don’t get any more organic than we’ve been living.”  
“You could have been…”  
“But I wasn’t.”  
He looked at her and some of the anger left his face. She hadn’t really known what was going on with him these days. He still bore the marks of his time with the Saviors and he hadn’t really forgiven her, she assumed, for anyone of a number of things. Risking her life that last time with Rick.  
Going after Judith.  
Leaving in the first place.  
But unlike so many other people she knew with Daryl it all came from a good place. Well, actually it came from places that he didn’t want to think about but all those things could have turned him into something else.  
Someone else.  
“What?”  
“What?”  
“You’re looking at me funny.”  
“I am not.”  
He cocked his head, “Are too.”  
“Daryl!”  
After everything they were starting to find their way back to before. She had told him about Lizzie and he hadn’t thought her a monster instead he had held her and told her that he was so sorry she had to go through that and somehow that had been what she needed to, as Morgan put it, “Get back on the path.”  
Of course it had gotten them right back on the path of back and forth whatever they had been once upon a time.  
Now he was giving her that smile like he knew damned well he was getting on her nerves.  
She rolled her eyes and picked the best peach she had found all afternoon holding it up to him, “Peach? They’re pretty much perfect.”  
For just a second he looked at her as though she was offering him poison. Then he surprised her- instead of taking the offered peach from her he reached out and took her hand in his pulled it toward him and bite into the peach with Daryl’s usual hunger. She could feel the heat of his mouth so close to her as the juices from the peach trailed down her hand.  
Daryl did tend to eat with a zest she had always enjoyed watching though usually it didn’t cause electric shocks like this to run up and down her body.  
Damn it!  
Damn him!  
He knew he was getting to her too. She could have sworn she saw a smirk when she opened the eyes she didn’t even realize she had closed. Still holding her wrist he ran his thumb up her arm and the trail of peach juice and then licked his thumb.  
Daryl…  
He was so careful, she thought. Anybody else would have- not that she didn’t want him to.  
Wait.  
Her mind was currently split down the middle. Did she want him to?  
“Your bite.”  
“What?”  
“Your turn.”  
“Oh, I have all these.”  
“We should share. That one is perfect. Just like you said.”  
Oh, the light in those eyes. All the anger was gone now and she got the impression they were feeling something new out. Learning how to talk to each other again and in a completely different way.  
She took a bite of the damned peach and indeed it was good. She swore it tasted like hope and she couldn’t stop herself from smiling, “Not bad…”  
But before she could finish Daryl truly stunned her and possibly himself leaning forward and kissing her gently on the lips. For just a split second they both might have wanted to jump away as in shock but then he reached out and awkwardly put his hand on her shoulder and pulled her closer and she parted her lips and Daryl responded deepening the kiss.  
She wondered for a minute if she was going to wake up.  
She didn’t real know what to do and then she realized she didn’t want to scare him away either. She dropped her arm and the peach slipped right from her hand but she reached over and took his hand in hers. They entwined their fingers together and when they broke the kiss to breath she was sure…  
No.  
He put his other hand awkwardly on her waist and pulled her back into another kiss. Everything every thought was flying out of her mind.  
“Daryl…”  
“This okay?” he muttered between soft kisses.  
“Don’t stop…”  
“Hey, Carol!” Rick swung through the door like a bloody hurricane causing them both too jump ten feet. Poor Daryl was startled so badly he backed into the fridge. Like everyone else Rick was in a better mood these days. Michonne had confided in her that Rick had taken her words to heart and was determined that she would always feel part of the family. Carol almost regretted ever saying anything to him.  
Now Carol was trying to get her heartbeat under control.  
“Eugene said there might be pie.”  
“Uh, dad.”  
Hell, she hadn’t even noticed Carl and Judith behind him. Carl noticed though. Kid caught everything. His father just looked back and forth between his friends… “Dad, maybe we should come back.”  
“Oh! Peaches!” Rick came around the counter to reach for one even as Daryl made his excuses and was out the door. Carol took a deep breath. Once she calmed down she would deal with Rick and probably not in front of Carl who was looking at her sadly and shaking his head at his father.  
Rick took a bite of the peach and leaned against the counter, “He left in a hurry. You guys arguing?”  
“Dad…”  
Carol just narrowed her eyes. She took a deep breath. She could still taste Daryl, the peach and the sweetness of the afternoon. Maybe it was all the same thing. Rick was staring at her again and Carl, poor Carl just looked mortified. She figured she’d make the pie and then have a long talk with Michonne about giving Rick something to do now that there didn’t seem to be any one left to fight.


End file.
